The market of electrified cars (100% electric, plug-in hybrid and full hybrid) in Romania will reach 110,000 registered units in 2026, up by 28% compared to the previous year, when 85,961 units were registered, the president of the Association of Automobile Manufacturers and Importers (APIA), Dan Vardie, said at a press conference on Thursday.
„In the electrified cars segment, please note that we have growth. For Romania, this is the first time in history that electrified cars exceed 100,000 units, and the forecast is 110,000 units for 2026, 28% more than in 2025. The market share of electrified cars, we estimate, will be 72% of the total car registrations in Romania this year,” Vardie said, according to Agerpres.
According to the APIA official, on the domestic market, hybrid cars will be the dominant solution at the moment, in line with trends in international markets.
„The APIA forecast for 2026 confirms the impact of the economic and political turmoil on the car market, with the market set to enter a downward slope after several years of growth. We see a moderation in volumes, but also a clear acceleration in electrification, with hybrids as the dominant solution at this point, in line with trends in international markets. The evolution of this sector will decisively depend on the coherence and predictability of this year's public measures which can support or, on the contrary, slow down the transition towards sustainable, accessible mobility with safety benefits for road users”, the specialist underlined.
In the same context, the main directions of the APIA forecast for the Romanian car market in 2026 highlight that the overall market of new cars registered will no longer be growing, as in the last four years, and will report a decrease of 1.7%, with a number of 179,500 units sold.
Also, decreases are expected on all three levels, namely passenger cars (-1.8%), LCV+Minibus (-0.35) and HCV+Bus (-1.1%), compared to 2025 data.
At the same time, in a more in-depth analysis, by fuel type of cars registered, APIA forecasts significant decreases in registrations of both types of classic engines: gasoline cars will decline by 38.4% compared to 2025 (representing 23.1% of the volume of car registrations), while cars equipped with diesel engines will have a decline of 39% and will hold a market share of only 4.9% of the total.
„The 100% electric cars will not make up lost ground in 2024 and 2025 (hit hard by the decrease in subsidies offered through Rabla Auto), following a modest growth curve of only +7.6%, with a share of about 8.6% of total „electrified” car registrations and 6.2% of the total car market. The stars of 2026 will continue to be full hybrids, with 40% and occupying nearly 38.9% of the „electrified” car market and 28% of the total car market,” APIA estimates.
